The key facts

  • Giuliano and Paolo Cannavaro reached a verbal agreement on a contract until June 2027 with an option to extend
  • The deal was blocked by the specialist's existing contract with the Uzbekistan national team
  • Cannavaro decided to stay with the national team at least until the 2027 Asian Cup

The Italian club failed to reach an agreement with the national team staff

After dismissing Raffaele Di Napoli, Giuliano, an Italian Serie C club, considered 45-year-old Paolo Cannavaro, who works on the coaching staff of the Uzbekistan national team, as the leading candidate for the head coach position. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, citing a report by Daryo.uz, the parties reached a verbal agreement on a contract until June 2027 with an option to extend, but the deal was never formalized: the specialist's existing contract with the Uzbekistan national team stood in the way of signing. To return to independent work in Italy, Cannavaro would have had to settle the matter of terminating his contract with the Uzbek side.

Decision in favor of the national team

In the end, Paolo Cannavaro decided to stay with the Uzbekistan national team at least until the 2027 Asian Cup. He joined the coaching staff in early 2026: Italian media wrote about his work with the team as early as the January training camp in Dubai, and in March journalist Nicolo Schira reported his official inclusion in the staff. However, the Football Association of Uzbekistan never separately announced his appointment. Cannavaro took part in preparing the national team for the 2026 World Cup and worked with the team during the tournament itself, and in September he was with the squad at another training camp in Tashkent.

A family duo on the staff

Paolo Cannavaro is the younger brother of national team head coach Fabio Cannavaro, who has led the team since October 2025 under a contract structured as '2+3', as first vice-president of the FAU Ravshan Irmatov said at the time of the appointment. The brothers previously worked together at Chinese club Guangzhou, as well as at the Italian clubs Benevento and Udinese. Paolo's rejection of the club offer means this pairing will remain in place until the 2027 continental tournament; formally, however, the specialist's status on the staff has still never been officially confirmed by the FAU.